Sovos Aims for ‘Warm and Bright’ in Hopkins Office
Previously located in Minnetonka, Sovos moved to its Hopkins location in August 2022.
“[Sovos was] in a very stale, very old kind of traditional layout, so they were really looking to be more progressive and be more flexible,” NELSON interior designer Amanda St. Jacque says.
The global tax compliance company didn’t follow in the footsteps of other tech companies when it came to designing its Hopkins offices, which will serve as the template for redesigning its other offices around the world.
“So often with tech companies, we see lots of crazy colors everywhere, and it’s all too much energy,” says Michelle Sirivong, an interior designer with NELSON, the architecture and design firm with offices in Minneapolis. “They actually wanted to go the opposite [direction]—warm and bright.”
The new office has brought new energy and excitement to the company, which had outgrown its old space.
The design of the new office speaks to Sovos’ priorities of attracting and retaining talent, facilitating a flexible work environment, creating a welcoming space, and increasing security. It features a neutral palette, work by local artists from Art Partners Group, and an emphasis on natural light.
Glass-pane walls allow light to pour into the workspace, and the design team made sure to avoid obstructions by situating enclosed rooms away from the windows.
The NELSON design team laid out the office in seven “neighborhoods” named after actual Twin Cities neighborhoods. Each has similar features—workstations, conference rooms, huddle rooms, and varied seating—making it easier for teams to work together when in the office. But with hybrid work in mind, conference rooms feature videoconferencing capabilities. In every decision, flexibility was key. Currently the office space can seat 126 people, but there is room for up to 160.
“We realize that a lot of people don’t want to just sit; some people think better standing, so we wanted to make sure that we were providing a lot of different options for a lot of different folks,” says Scott Hierlinger, principal at NELSON’s Minneapolis office.
To incentivize team members to come to the office, the space includes a café with complimentary drinks and snacks, as well as a game area with foosball, table tennis, and retro games like Pac-Man. The game area, which is on a raised platform, is used often, especially as a stress reliever during the busy tax seasons, says Sovos office coordinator Sherisa Littlefield.
“[Team members] are extremely excited to come in,” Littlefield says. “Everyone loves the space.”
Who: Sovos
Where: Hopkins
Size: 34,000 square feet
Designer: NELSON
Contractor: Gardner Construction
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Photographer: Brandon Stengel, Farm Kid Studios
